AP Suspends DoD Over Altered US Army Photo

djupedal notes a story up at the BBC about the Associated Press's suspension of the use of Department of Defense photos after a photo of General Ann Dunwoody was found to have been altered (before and after comparison). "The Pentagon has become embroiled in a row after the US Army released a photo of a general to the media which was found to have been digitally altered. Ann Dunwoody was shown in front of the US flag but it later emerged that this background had been added. The Associated Press news agency subsequently suspended the use of US Department of Defense photos. 'For us, there's a zero-tolerance policy of adding or subtracting actual content from an image,' said Santiago Lyon, AP's director of photography."

Comments

Re:The US and US flags

[nedlohs]

"""
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all.
"""

Note what they pledge allegiance to every day in school. First is not the republic, or the nation, or the liberty, or the justice, but the flag.

Makes no sense to me either - pledges like that I also haven't seen outside of dictatorships...

It should be noted that this photo indicates at least one American doesn't surround themselves with flags, since they had to add photoshop one in.

Re:My eyes, they burn!

[Anonymous Coward]

I wouldn't mid a picture of her in front of a flag, but a billowing flag? Geez, even the government's patriotism is cheesey. Oh well, continue with the torture...

Re:The US and US flags

[NeoSkandranon]

I think generally a lot of people think it's a crass or redneck type of display in the states too.

There are just far more people who think it's acceptable as well.

And no one would dream of saying anything critical of someone with two flag bumper stickers and little flags affixed to the windows of their car, because that'd be unpatriotic damnit /rolleyes

Re:The US and US flags

[Culture20]

Yeah, I was trying to intimate that the author made a pastime of burning American flags; certainly seems to hold enough derision of America to do so, but upon further thought, if flags mean nothing then flag burning would hold no thrill, so I guess my paint won't stick.

As if the AP has any room to talk...

[Mr. Firewall]

Presumably, photos of spectacular truck collisions that have been doctored is OK. I don't seem to remember hearing about AP cutting off images from NBC News....

And I guess images of faked memos are also perfectly OK because I don't remember the AP cutting off CBS News from submitting images, either.

Wait a minute... OK, I get it now. If it makes a Rebublican, or a business, or the military, look bad it's OK. But if it makes one of the above look good....

Well! We just cannot have that!